Increasing parliaments’ engagement with human rights

On Thursday 28th June 2018, the Permanent Missions of Ecuador, Italy, the Maldives, Morocco, the Philippines, Romania, and Spain. in cooperation with OHCHR, the IPU, Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law and the Universal Rights Group will organise a side event in the margins of the 38th Session of the Human Rights Council on ‘Increasing parliaments’ engagement with human rights’.

Enhancing the role of parliaments in the protection and realisation of human rights is an emerging issue, and several parliaments around the world have started to prioritize human rights and engage with the UN human rights mechanisms, including the UPR. Various resolutions have been passed by the Human Rights Council in relation to Parliaments and human rights. In its latest resolution (35/29), the Council acknowledged the crucial role that Parliaments play in translating international commitments into national policies and laws, especially the recommendations supported by the State in the framework of the universal periodic review and hence their contribution to the fulfilment of its human rights obligations and commitments. The UN Secretary-General has encouraged a more proactive engagement of parliamentarians in the work of international human rights mechanisms, including through the development of principles that would assist and guide them. Parliaments are uniquely positioned to contribute to closing the implementation gap. Indeed, within the context of the universal periodic review, over 50% of recommendations require or involve parliamentary action.